a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her parents' home and allegedly held captive by a self-proclaimed street prophet.

>> we got the tip from his ex-wife. that's a horrible guy named brian david mitchell. he's a street creature. he's a creep. >> tonight elizabeth smart's ordeal described in her own words. >> he said get out of bed or i will kill you and your family. >> forced to take an oath of marriage. >> and i take you to be my wife. >> and perform what he called her wifely duties for nine traumatic months. >> he forced me to the bed that he had where he raped me. >> the heartbreaking near-miss to save her. >> i felt terrible that the detective had not pushed harder, that he had just walked away. >> please release elizabeth. please let her go. >> every single day was torture. >> and elizabeth's parents take us inside their personal torment as they never have before. revealing the intimate details of her family's ultimate triumph over evil.

>> the night when elizabeth finally was able to come home, what was that like? >> she said, "i just want to go to my bed. and don't worry, i'll be here in the morning." >> finally after eight long years, her kidnapper faces justice. and elizabeth is there to watch. >> i'm so thrilled with the verdict. >> in the early morning hours of june 5th, 2002, just before 4:00 a.m., ed and lois smart are sleeping in their salt lake city home. parents of six children. they're awakened by their youngest daughter, 9-year-old mary katherine. >> she had her blanket over her head, almost as a shawl. and she said, "somebody's taken elizabeth."

>> first she said, "elizabeth's gone. you're not going to find her. she's gone." >> shaking off sleep, ed and lois get out of bed and start searching the house. >> you go and look in the rooms. >> went across to the kids' room. starts going one to one. as i came down the stairs, mary katherine and lois came to the. to of the stairs. and mary katherine said, "dad, you're not going to find her." and lois came over here to where the light switch was. >> i just flipped the whole panel of lights on. i looked and i saw the screen had been cut. >> she just screamed. i mean, it was just -- she knew at that moment what was happening. >> gripped with fear, lois knows her daughter is gone. the screen to a kitchen window left ajar earlier that night is sliced open. and lois realizes someone has cut that screen to get into

their house. and take their daughter. and now 14-year-old elizabeth smart is gone. as police swarm his home, ed smart pleads for his daughter's life. >> please let her go. >> the abduction of elizabeth smart quickly becomes national news. >> lois and edward smart are elizabeth's parents, mr. and mrs. smart, good morning. >> i remember both of us were just sick. i know lois was, you know, to be able to get on in front of the tv was nearly impossible. it was just pain and, you know, heartache. >> please let her go. >> please, please let her go. >> going through something that most of us can't comprehend. and they were doing it with the lights and cameras rolling. >> i don't think lois could lift her head up at all. she was so heartbroken. it was just evident how worried she was for her daughter. >> it's every mother's, every father's worst nightmare. >> your heart just sinks. >> i can't imagine. >> and you're paralyzed.

and you can't move and you can't talk. and the tears do not stop. and you can't imagine who would want to do something like that? who would come into your home, the private place, who would do that? right when we're all in there sleeping. you couldn't imagine. >> elizabeth's disappearance is devastating. days after she vanishes, ed starts crying and finds that he can't stop. >> quite early this morning, we were called to the house. edward had actually become very, very exhausted. he's been taken to a hospital. >> i just felt out of control. and i couldn't -- like my dad said, if you don't calm down, i'm going to take you over to the hospital. and he did. i was there overnight. and i think it was one of the

hardest nights of my life. i just thought, you know, everything was kind of caving in, and how was i going to move forward? the next morning i realized, you know, i needed to be home and be the father. >> meanwhile, the community reaches out and launches a massive search effort. devout mormons, the smarts lean on their family and their faith as they continue their public pleas for elizabeth's return. >> please release elizabeth. please let her go. >> be strong. and be ready to come because you're going to be with us soon. >> every single day was torture. getting up. you know, and nighttimes were terrible because you couldn't sleep. all you could think was where is he? what's she doing? are they taking care of her? are they hurting her? it just seemed like the whole world had stopped. >> while her parents are grappling with the unthinkable, elizabeth is living her own horror less than four miles from the smarts' home tucked deep

into the mountains behind it is a campsite. it is the home of a man named brian david mitchell. and his wife, wanda barzee. years later elizabeth will testify that it was mitchell who broke into her home, took her from her bed and brought her to this campsite. what she tells the court is chilling. >> ms. smart, did there come a time that evening, june 4th, when you fell asleep? >> yes. >> what happened after you fell asleep? >> i was woken up. >> what woke you up? >> there was a strange man's voice and i could feel something cold across my neck. >> you said it was a man's voice? >> yes. >> what did that voice say? what's your first recollection of what you heard? >> i don't remember exact wording. but i remember him saying ta -- he said, i have a knife to your neck. don't make a sound. get out of bed and come with me, or i will kill you and your family. >> when you heard those words, did you feel anything on your neck in. >> yes, i felt something cold and sharp. i asked him why he was doing this.

and he said he was taking me hostage. >> elizabeth says mitchell marched her up the hills and trails behind her house to the campsite. >> i was crying a lot because i didn't realize what was going on at first. and then i heard him say that -- he said, by the power of the holy priesthood which i hold, i seal you to me here on this earth. >> what did the defendant say when you screamed? >> he said if i ever screamed like that again, he would duct tape my mouth. >> what happened after he told you he would duct tape your mouth if you screamed like that again? >> he forced me off of the bucket and into the bed they had made where he proceeded to fight me to the ground and force the robes up where he raped me. >> elizabeth said mitchell locks a cable around her ankle and keeps her shackled to a line running between two trees. >> during the period that you

were tethered, did the defendant make any threats to you? >> yes. >> how often? >> quite frequent. in the beginning, it was a few times a day. the less i fought back, the less often the threats came. >> what were the nature of these threats? >> that i would be killed or my family would be killed or anyone that tried to help me would be killed. >> meanwhile, the search for elizabeth continues. she later testifies that at one point volunteers are heartbreakingly close. >> i remember one day sitting outside of the tent out on the buckets with the defendant and his wife. and i remember hearing my name being called. i remember him immediately becoming very, very intense. i remember him saying, telling me that if i yelled out, screamed or said anything, that he would duct tape my mouth shut and anyone who entered into the camp would be killed. >> for the first couple of months of the kidnapping, she was not far from your house the whole time? >> right. right.

and she heard -- >> she, in fact, heard her uncles calling her name? >> yep. >> that just break your heart even more? >> absolutely. to hear that she's tethered to a chain that only could go so far. i mean, it's -- >> the abuse that she went through and the rapes, as she described in her testimony, no parent can ever imagine hearing something like that. >> right. coming up -- just weeks into elizabeth smart's disappearance, a suspect comes into focus. and then in an instant, he's gone. ale announcer ] with over 50 delicious choices of green giant vegetables it's easy to eat like a giant... ♪ and feel like a green giant. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant [ female announcer ] almost nothing can dampen a baby's mood, when he wakes up dry in pampers. unlike other diapers,

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summer 2002 in the early weeks and months after her disappearance, elizabeth smart is still nowhere to be found. her father, ed, struggles to keep her name and face out there with daily press conferences. >> i still feel so strongly inside that she is waiting for us to find her. >> the investigation zeros in on

a local handyman named richard ricci who did work on the smarts' house. >> richard was referred by another contractor. he came up here and did jobs, painting and yardwork. you know, he was a very engaging person. i think the kids liked him. was easy to talk to. he seemed nice enough. >> but what ed didn't know is that the affable ricci also has a lengthy rap sheet that includes the attempted murder of a police officer. he would later find out that ricci burglarized other homes in the area. >> i had absolutely no knowledge of his background whatsoever. i never would have ever hired him had i known that. >> ricci seemed to fit the profile of what police were looking for. he was familiar with the smarts. he was familiar with their

house. he had been inside their house. they even found objects that he had taken from their house which incriminated him even more. >> we were pretty confident that he was the one. >> and police told you that, they were pretty darn sure of that? >> yeah. >> that he was the one? >> that he was the one. >> i have no idea why he would take her. and i would just pray and ask him to please let her go. >> ricci is taken into police custody. >> what were your thoughts as you saw him standing there today? >> just disappointment. >> the handyman remains behind bars while police question him about elizabeth's disappearance. his attorney reads a statement in which ricci proclaims his innocence. >> i believe the reason i'm involved in this investigation is because of my past. i would not nor could not hurt a child in any way.

>> there's at least one person who agrees that ricci didn't do it. the crime's only witness, 9-year-old mary katherine who shared a room with her sister and saw the man who took her. >> mary katherine apparently saw some of the coverage. she snuck into the room where her father was watching it. when richard came onto the screen, she said, dad, why is richard on tv? >> mary katherine said to us -- what's richard doing on the tv? >> he didn't do it. >> two months after elizabeth's disappearance, ricci dies from a burst aneurysm. >> we don't know with certainty what information he would have been able to give to us. i would say it's a setback to the case. >> after his death, i think there were some who felt, well, now we'll never find her. we'll never find her body because the only link between elizabeth and where she's at has just died. >> meanwhile up in the mountains of salt lake city, brian david mitchell continues his subjugation of elizabeth smart who testified he raped her on a daily basis.

she said his abuse destroyed her self-worth but thoughts of her family sustain her desire to survive. >> no matter what it took, i was going to live and survive. i would do everything that he told me to do. i would keep my life and my family's life intact. and i did that till the very end. >> were you concerned about your family's safety at that point? >> yes. >> how would you have felt if you did anything to cause harm to them? >> i would have felt like it was my fault. i would have felt terrible. i would have felt like i had a burden the size of a mountain to carry around with me the rest of my life. >> elizabeth says mitchell occasionally unshackles her and incredibly takes her into town. >> there were a few days where he would come out from hiding from the mountain. he would disguise elizabeth in a burqa, in a wig. and they would actually walk

around town. >> that first time that you were in salt lake, do you recall what you did in the evening? >> yes. >> what was that? >> we went to a big rave-type party. >> what instruction did he give you? >> he told me not to talk to anyone. he told me to stay right next to him and his wife. he once again threatened me with my life. >> jason was at that party. he has seen mitchell around town and knows him as the jesus man. >> i remember thinking, wow, the jesus man has decided to come to our party with two other women in full shroud as well. i did not like his energy. he seemed very threatening. >> in fact, he says the so-called jesus man and his two companions are kicked out of the party when mitchell gets into an argument with someone there. elizabeth says mitchell is undaunted and continues to parade her around salt lake city. >> he would tell me where to walk. he would tell me to stay close to him.

he would tell me not to speak or not to talk to people. he would tell me if i ever tried running away, that i would be killed and my family would be killed. >> did you believe these threats? >> yes. coming up -- the only witness to this crime holds the key to solving it. now if only she can remember. the investigation into the [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day

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disappearance of elizabeth smart grows cold when the number one suspect dies in police custody. >> when ricci died in prison, to a large degree, it was the end of the case. >> despite the blow, police remain hopeful that mary katherine, the crime's only witness, will remember more about the man she saw take her sister. >> i believe we will resolve this case eventually and mary katherine is a big part of doing that. >> mary katherine is just doing -- i can't believe how well she is doing in holding up under all that is going forth. >> to the smarts' credit, they were told early on with mary katherine to give her space, not to try to cajole anything from

her, to really work with her to allow her the time and space she needed to come up with something. if they did that, if it was forced, she may suppress those memories. if it wasn't forced, over time, something may come out, and it did. >> in october, four months after elizabeth disappears, mary katherine remembers. >> after months and months of thinking about it, it just came to her one day, she said, i know who it is. she pointed to a handyman who worked on the smart roof who at the time called himself . he was a guy who they found on the street. he was in downtown salt lake city street preaching. >> lois had crossed paths with emmanuel in 2001, seven months before elizabeth disappeared. >> he needed work, and i said, call ed up. >> he claimed he was a born again christian trying to help the homeless. he was very evasive. wouldn't really give any

pertinent information. >> he said he was traveling with his sister. >> with his sister. >> spreading the word of god. >> so, you know, and i had respect for somebody who would spend their life trying to help other people. when he didn't show up again, i thought, well, he's on to his next spot and never a second thought. >> mary katherine saw him maybe all of five minutes? >> minutes, yeah. >> just minutes. >> it just came to her. >> yeah, just came to her. his name never crossed my mind. as being a possible suspect. >> after hearing mary katherine's sudden revelation, ed works with a sketch artist to develop a likeness of emmanuel. but police make the decision not to go public with it. >> all the circumstantial evidence pointed to richard ricci. it just seemed the most likely scenario as opposed to a man who was in the smart's house for a total of three hours of his entire life.

>> but mary katherine is certain the man she saw take elizabeth is emmanuel. ed and lois are willing to believe she is right and that elizabeth may still be alive. they grow frustrated that police seem unwilling to follow up on the lead. >> i think there were some that felt by putting out another picture that it might confuse the public. it might cloud the investigation. >> around the time of mary katherine's revelation, brian mitchell decides it's time to leave utah. before they do, elizabeth is nearly rescued. at a local library. the three are stopped by a police detective who wants elizabeth to take off the veil. mitchell has made her wear. the detective wants to see if the girl behind the veil is the missing elizabeth smart. mitchell ultimately convinces the detective that the young girl is not the one he is looking for. elizabeth later testifies about watching the detective leave.

>> i felt hopeless walking out the door. i was mad at myself that i didn't say anything. i was mad at myself for just not taking the chance. i just felt like it was so close. i was just so -- i felt terrible. i felt terrible that the detective had not pushed harder. that he had just walked away. i felt upset with myself that i had not said anything, done anything, that i had not taken the chance. i was just very upset. the three leave town on a bus heading towards southern california. >> can you describe your feelings for the jury when you were on that bus? >> i felt like i was being sentenced to 20 more years. i felt like the chances of me being found in california had just dropped a lot. >> mitchell, barzee and elizabeth end up in lakeside, california, about 20 miles northwest of san diego. >> they lived in a transient camp out there. they lived a lot like they did

in salt lake. they kind of lived in the wilderness. they had actually a tarp over them. >> according to elizabeth's testimony, mitchell soon begins looking for another girl to kidnap using the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints as his hunting ground. >> he said that we had come to california to find another wife. and now that he was beginning his search for another wife and that he was going to go around to the other lds chapels to find her. >> a man invites mitchell to dinner to talk about the mormon faith. >> he got in the car with this man and his wife, and they took him to their house and had dinner. while she was making last-minute preparations, he saw the photograph of a young girl on the piano. >> elizabeth testifies that mitchell then goes back to the home to take the girl. she says he attempts to break in but noises inside scare him off. >> i think he said when he tried to open the door more, the person inside the bed moved or something and that scared him. and so he didn't go through with his plans.

coming up, the smarts release the police sketch which leads to a major break in the case. bank ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicoderm cq, the patch with time release smart control technology that acts fast and helps control cravings all day long. ♪ quit one day at a time with nicoderm cq.

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. we ex-con behind a shooting that left two firefighters dead. he opened fire and reportedly turned the gun on himself. former president george h. bush has taken a turn for the wrors tonight. and mird nigdnight, it's come ae at the vatican where the pope led christmas eve mass just a hort time ago. now, back to "taken." hey there, i'm veronica de la cruz.

ed shares what he remembers of his encounter with the man in question. >> talked with him about where he was from, what he was doing. he indicated to me that he was from all over, that he was going about the country from homeless shelter to homeless shelter. preaching, born-again christianity. >> america's most wanted. >> a little over a week later the television show "america's most wanted" features the sketch. the show has presented elizabeth's story in the past and its host, john walsh, is excited to feature the new lead. >> it reopened the case. it reenergized the case. here was something contrary to what police believed, here was something new to the case, here was a composite by little mary katherine. she was the only witness to elizabeth's abduction. everyone should have taken her seriously.

>> emmanuel is identified as brian david mitchell. >> we got the tip from his ex-wife. that's not a guy named emmanuel. that's a horrible guy named brian david mitchell. he's a creep. >> a disturbing portrait emerges of his the two who were married in 1985 and active in the mormon church, but family members report that his religious zeal ultimately became something more extreme. at the same time his face is being broadcast nationwide on "america's most wanted," mitchell is cooling his heels in a jail cell. elizabeth later testified mitchell had gotten drunk and passed out. he said he had broken into one of the churches that was in lakeside, and he woke up the next morning and found himself in, like, a child's nursery in this church building and that there was a woman there and several police officers who then escorted him to the jail.

>> mitchell's appearance before the judge is captured on camera. he promised the court he will stay out of trouble. >> this week in jail has been like jonah getting swallowed by the whale. it's turned me right around. and i know i need to do what the lord wants me to do with my life. >> he was able to snap out of being emmanuel. he came before a judge fully repentant. he was able to put on the act that he needed to get out of trouble, and he did. >> i'm deeply sorry, and nothing like that's going to happen again. >> sentence is suspended. >> mitchell is given a suspended sentence and released from custody. out of jail, he decides it is time to leave california. elizabeth boldly suggests the group's next destination. >> i said i thought we should

return to salt lake city. >> why? >> i felt the more cities we went to, the less chance i would have of being found. >> where did you tell him that that idea came from? >> i said i didn't know for sure, but i felt god had told me that but he should pray about it because i didn't know for sure. >> why? >> because anytime i suggested anything, immediately understanding. >> they began to hitchhike back to utah. meanwhile, on march 1st, the show features a story using photos. >> his photo changes dramatically depending on the length of his hair and beard. hundreds of miles away, elizabeth said she took another chance by suggesting to mitchell they go back to utah. nine months after elizabeth first went missing, both gambles pay off.

coming up -- ed smart finally comes face to face with his daughter. >> i ran over there and i grabbed her. and i just started crying. and finally, i said, elizabeth? is it you? years ago, my doctor told me

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state street. >> okay, and how many women is he with? >> he's with two. one with gray hair and one i can't tell because she's got her head completely covered. >> an "america's most wanted" viewer sees someone she thinks she sees the man who could be emmanuel she saw featured on the show. he is with two women. police are dispatched and stop the trio. >> my attention was drawn to the female, the young female. when i took a closer look at her, i recognized her as possibly resembling elizabeth smart. so i started addressing her as elizabeth. when i called her by the name elizabeth, her head kind of dropped. and you could visibly see that she was upset. you could see her t-shirt move, and her heart was pounding fast. you could see -- actually see that.

>> the officer is right. the young woman in the wig is elizabeth smart. elizabeth later testifies about being stopped by the police. >> what questions were the police asking you? >> they were asking me what my name was, how old i was, where i graduated from high school, where i was from. and then they started asking me if i was elizabeth smart, if i knew that my parents were very worried about me and that they missed me. >> elizabeth is separated from mitchell and barzee who are taken into custody. within days, both are charged with kidnapping and sexual assault. >> i was very scared. i knew the threats that i had been told for nine months, and i knew what they were, and i was scared. and at the same time, i -- i thought that this is it. this is it. i'm done. this is it, like this is over. >> her father, ed, gets a call to come to the police station where an officer tells him they think they have found elizabeth. >> i look across the room.

and there's this amazingly mature young woman. it was not the -- >> the 14-year-old girl. >> -- the 14-year-old elizabeth that had left us nine months earlier. and i looked at her and i thought, you know, it really looks like her. i mean, i just thought, this has got to be her. and i ran over there and i grabbed her. and i just, you know, started crying. and finally, i said, elizabeth, is it you? and she said, yes, dad, it's really me. and then she started to cry. >> good afternoon. this is a very good time for the city of salt lake, for the salt lake police department and quite frankly for all of utah. >> there are certain moments during the whole elizabeth smart saga that you'll always remember. >> we're here to announce officially that we have found elizabeth smart and that she is here and well and healthy at our

station. >> jaws dropped all over utah and i think all over the world. >> you know, you talk about having miracles in your life or getting the wish that you hoped for. i mean, this was absolutely a miracle come true. >> thank you. god bless everyone. thank you for your prayers and your support and your help. i'm so happy. thank you very much. >> describe for me, lois, the moment where you finally were able to see your daughter after nine months of pain and torture. >> embracing and hugging and kissing and group hugs. >> it's like having your child all over again. >> exactly. yeah. it was. yeah. i carried her for nine months next to my heart. she was gone for nine months. and i was still carrying her in my heart. >> taken from her room nine

months earlier, elizabeth smart finally gets to go home. friends, family and neighbors rejoice. >> the streets were lined with photographers and media and people wishing her well. she kept saying, what are all these balloons for? who are all these people? she didn't realize how big the magnitude of her kidnapping had become. and she didn't understand that they were there wishing her well. >> it's real! it's real! >> an elated ed smart who spent much of the last nine months in front of the cameras pleading for his daughter's return now stands before them celebrating it. >> i can't begin to tell you how happy i am, what an absolute miracle and answer to prayers this has been. god lives. he is there. he answers prayers.

and the prayers of the world have brought elizabeth home. >> the might when elizabeth finally was able to come home, what was that like? >> we said, what would you like to do? and i think, first of all, i think he said, do you think you can still play the harp? so she sat down and she immediately just went right back to playing. it was a little rusty, but picked it up very quickly. and then she wanted to take a big bubble bath. and so she had a long luxurious bath. >> and that -- >> and the ring on my tub was unbelievable. yeah. and then it was time for bed. it was quite late. and we said, well, do you just want to sleep in our room? everyone can just, you know, have a sleep-out. >> you wanted everyone close together, right? >> yeah, close together. she said, no, i just want to go to my bed.

and don't worry, i'll be here in the morning. >> what was that for you to hear her say? >> it was hard. i wanted her to sleep right there by my side. i wanted to hold her hand. >> you spent the whole night -- >> yes. >> -- as a parent of a newborn would do. >> exactly, going and checking to make sure she was there and everything was okay. >> making sure it was real. >> did she have to have a lot of counseling shortly thereafter? i imagine she was very changed. >> we all had some. we all had help. >> how changed was she? in the first couple of months coming home? >> i -- the first couple of days is about all it took. and once after that, she was just slipped right back into her place. and it was almost as if she had never left. >> did she want to talk about it? >> it was in the forefront always. and we tried to put that aside as much as possible and just focus on the family. you're just so grateful to god that she's back. and we're going to start from here. and we don't have to dwell upon those things. that's a small part of your life. it's a terrible part.

but we can move forward. and we will move forward. and we will not give him another second of your time or our time. he's taken way too much time from us all. we'll just move forward. >> shortly after her rescue, elizabeth takes her family up the mountain behind her house to show them where she had been held. she speaks about it publicly in 2008. >> i went up a few days after i was home. you know, i felt -- i felt good. i felt triumphant, you know. the place where i had been held captive for so long, you know, the world could see. it was no longer a secret. >> elizabeth also shares what she learned about dealing with the trauma of her kidnapping. >> it's okay to feel whatever you feel when you come back. i mean, you may feel guilty, but you don't need to. and, of course, lots of people

are going to tell you, don't feel guilty. but if you do feel that way, it's not your fault. but if you're angry, it's okay to feel that way. you know, if you just -- we each have our own way of dealing with it. coming up, eight years after the kidnapping, brian david mitchell finally stands trial. and elizabeth smart takes the stand. [ roasting firewood ] ♪

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in 2003, brian david mitchell is charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault of elizabeth smart. initially found competent to stand trial, mitchell complicates things in a pretrial hearing. >> out of the blue, he starts singing. and he got removed from the courtroom because he wouldn't be quiet. >> mitchell's musical interlude provoke a new round of evaluations to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. that question will ultimately take years to resolve. despite the delays, elizabeth takes solace in knowing her accused kidnappers are, at least for now, unable to hurt anyone else.

>> i never want them getting out. that's for sure. i never would want anyone else's life to be endangered. and if they stay in a mental hospital, that's fine. if they go to jail, that's great, too. >> is mitchell competent to stand trial? can he be forcibly medicated? by october 2008, more than six years after elizabeth's kidnapping, the state's case seems stalled when a judge rules mitchell can't be medicated against his will. prosecutors frustrated by delays and roadblocks in the state case move mitchell's trial to federal court in an effort to move forward. once again, the court examines the issue of competency. mitchell continues to sing during court proceedings and at one point is literally gagged to stop him from singing. >> i mean, i really got a little enjoyment out of seeing him gagged there. >> the first to testify at the federal competency hearing is the case's star witness, elizabeth smart herself.

now 21 years old, she takes the stand on october 1st, 2009. her testimony delivered more than seven years after she was taken, for the first time reveals the horrifying details. >> it was flawless. she delivered it, didn't cry. she didn't even reach for a tissue. but she said it matter of factually, said exactly what happened. and she was strong. it was just amazing testimony. it was during that testimony from her that we learned of the rapes and the sexual abuse that she endured while she was kidnapped. >> elizabeth's testimony floors everyone who listens. but no one is more shocked than her parents. >> i had no idea what she had gone through, so much out there. >> but one person was not in the courtroom that day, mitchell. >> she actually wanted to face him.

>> elizabeth wanted to see him there in court and to face him when she testified. and he was too big of a coward. >> he wouldn't stay. >> he would not stay in there. he would sing or do whatever and ended up being in this remote room. but at least he had to hear it. >> after she telephones at mitchell's competency hearing, elizabeth leaves utah for an 18-month latter-day saints mission to france. steeped in her faith, she talks of taking the mormon rite of passage. >> i know that there is a god and that he loves us. and that no matter what people can take from you or do to you or harm you, that they can't take that away from you. >> in march 2010, while elizabeth is abroad, a federal judge rules that 56-year-old brian david mitchell is competent to stand trial. his accomplice, 64-year-old wanda barzee pleads guilty to kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor. on may 21st, 2010, barzee is

sentenced to 15 years in prison. as part of her plea deal, she agrees to testify against brian david mitchell. >> that's the first step in trying to turn your life around. and we do really sincerely hope that wanda does that. >> at barzee's sentencing, lois smart stands up and confronts her, mother to mother. >> i said, no mother should treat another mother the way you treated us and the children. you took from them things that never can be replaced. maybe justice won't be served in the way that we thought it should be. but there will be a point, some point, that she will have to make amends for what she did. and what he did. and what he did. >> mitchell's trial finally commences in november 2010 nearly 8 1/2 years after the kidnapping. his defense argues he is not guilty by reason of insanity. elizabeth takes the stand november 8th and testifies over

three days, once again recounting her harrowing story and describing mitchell as a master manipulator and a hypocrite. >> everything that he did to me and my family is something i know god would never tell somebody to do. god would never tell somebody to go and kidnap a young girl from her family at night, by knifepoint from her sister's bed -- well, from the side of her sister from the bed that she shared. he would never continue to rape her and sexually abuse her and never giving her her free agency to choose. >> elizabeth and her family are there to witness most of the proceedings. brian david mitchell, however, is not. as he has throughout the legal process, mitchell starts each day at court in song, prompting the judge day after day to remove him to a room where he can watch the trial remotely. after listening to six weeks of witness testimony, the jury reaches a decision and finds brian david mitchell guilty of kidnapping and transporting a

minor across state lines for the purpose of having illegal sex. no one is more relieved than elizabeth smart. >> today is a wonderful day. and i am so thrilled to be here. i'm so thrilled with the verdict. but not only that, i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about their crime -- about what's happened to them. i hope that not only is this an example that justice can be served in america, but that it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened and that we can speak out, and we will be heard. once again, thank you so much. i am excited to go back to france and complete my mission. thank you to everyone for everyone's prayers and support. >> what have you learned about yourself, about your family and about elizabeth through all of that? >> i think we've learned that we're stronger than what we really knew we were. it makes you realize that life

is very fragile and that it can be taken at any moment. and you just never know. >> are you still so angry? >> no. i can't have anger in my life. i mean, if you have anger, you can't -- you can't move forward. you know, if you can't let it go, then you're always stuck there. >> ed, you know, i can't imagine as a father you not wanting to just -- >> strangle him? >> -- reach over and strangle him. what does it take for you not to just want to take out every human emotion imaginable on the man who could do something like that to your little girl? >> the fact that elizabeth came home and that we have her back is such a miracle and such a blessing that -- >> we had to keep remembering, he did not kill her. he didn't kill her.

>> tell me about elizabeth now. >> well, she's fantastic and beautiful and strong and courageous and sensitive. >> and she's dated, i understand? >> oh, yes. >> she's had relationships? >> no shortage of that, yes. >> what are your hopes and dreams for elizabeth now? >> well -- >> i want to see her have a wonderful life. i want it to be full of happiness and doing what she wants to do. >> elizabeth has expressed a desire to graduate from college in music and to eventually find someone that she absolutely adores and he adores her. that they will get married. i just hope all of those dreams come true for her. i think we have to remember that it was nine months of her life. and that's not who elizabeth is. there are many more facets to her. she's going to have a bright, wonderful life.